The opening of a drive-through condom shop has residents reeling in a predominantly Italian neighborhood here, where statues of the Madonna and various saints adorn many well-kept lawns.

Condom Hut, Rhode Island's first drive-through condom shop, has been the target of vandalism and the subject of sermons since its opening last week, which coincided with the festival of the city's patron saint, Madonna Della Civita.

Even before the converted Fotomat opened, vandals had splattered black paint on its pink-and-white facade and broken a window. Now, few cars drive through during the day, local shopkeepers said, but business picks up in the evening and continues until closing time at 10:30 P.M. The drive-through is in a shopping plaza at Itri Memorial Square in the Knightsville section of Cranston, the city's most Italian neighborhood.

Emanuella Del Vecchio, a Roman Catholic who owns Condom Hut, says protests will not deter her. "I believe in my religion, but I disagree with the church," she said. "I think it should be a little more real about issues such as abstinence. Abstinence may be what we should do, but that's...